JOE SCHMIDT NAMED his 32-man squad for a three-Test tour of South Africa this afternoon. The full list of inclusions is here and some of our snap judgements are below.
A Bolter
Sean Reidy is perhaps the very definition of a bolter.
The 27-year-old is one of six back rows in the 32-man squad (including Iain Henderson) and has certainly put in a solid season, deputising ably in the absence of Chris Henry – who he now replaces in the Ireland squad to tour South Africa.
Reidy takes on a pass against Saracens in January. Morgan Treacy / INPHO
Morgan Treacy / INPHO / INPHO
However, it is only in the very last few weeks of the season when Reidy really caught fire. The Aucklander, whose grandfather hails from Kerry, was deployed chiefly as an openside until the 30 April clash against Leinster in Belfast. With Henry in the number seven jersey, Reidy excelled at number eight, showing a thirst for carrying with good footwork and handling ability after the tackle.
With Joe Schmidt’s selection brought about through injury to Sean O’Brien and Josh van der Flier, it’s difficult not to have sympathy for Henry and Tommy O’Donnell who have continuously worked so hard to be in and around the front-line options for the openside.
Madi-gone
Time and again, Ireland’s head coach has returned to speak about the value of having a utility back among his replacements rather than allowing a specialist out-half take up a full jersey on the bench. Until now, Ian Madigan has been that utility option, but his imminent move to France has apparently dragged him out of favour.
While Paddy Jackson is now a clear favourite to be deputy to Jonathan Sexton from matchday to matchday, Schmidt will have capable utility options available in Luke Marshall and one other notable Ulster tyro who we’ll speak about a little further down.
Roux rides the Connacht wave
Looking down the right-hand side of the squad list on today’s email from the IRFU, we didn’t expect to have to look quite so hard for the word ‘Connacht’.
Finlay Bealham and Ultan Dillane return after their introduction in the Six Nations, Kieran Marmion will again hope to challenge Eoin Reddan to back up Conor Murray and Robbie Henshaw is there too, of course. There’s no place for some of the other real in-form parts of the Connacht trophy chase though.
Matt Healy’s talents will continue to be restricted to the provincial scene, Aly Muldowney’s unbelievable efforts are perhaps coming too late in his career and Rob Kearney’s return to training has ensured there’s no obvious route in for Tiernan O’Halloran.
Morgan Treacy / INPHO
Morgan Treacy / INPHO / INPHO
Quinn Roux is the fifth Connacht name in the squad and, much like the other uncapped member of the group, he too comes in on a less than straightforward run. An ankle injury kept the South African-born lock out of action for three of the winter months and he has often struggled to make the Connacht 23 since then, wearing the jersey just four times since March, including four minutes off the bench in the first of the two wins over Glasgow in Galway.
One Stu in, one Stu out
He got a contract extension sorted nice and early, but other than that it hasn’t been a great week for Stuart McCloskey. The Bangor Bulldozer will have to wait beyond the summer for his second cap, despite providing some thrilling flashes of potential on his Twickenham debut.
A three-Test tour in South Africa, where physicality is alaways bare minimum, would have seemed perfectly suited to McCloskey. Instead, his provincial team-mate Stuart Olding is recalled ahead of him.
Stuart Olding tackled by Garry Ringrose, Ian Madigan and Luke McGrath. One of these men in going to South Africa. Billy Stickland / INPHO
Billy Stickland / INPHO / INPHO
Olding is a ludicrously talented rugby player, bringing an eye for a line-break, searing acceleration and passing skills to any position from 10, 12, 13 or 15. His only drawback is his 5′ 11″, 90kg frame. Together with Reidy, it’s a selection that offers hope that Schmidt is attempting to avoid a straight up arm-wrestle with the Springboks and instead send out a side seeking width and space.
Jordi rewarded
We’ve been through some of the tight selection calls in the six back row spots above, but you sense that Schmidt would have thought it an easy call to bring Jordi Murphy back in from the cold – even if Jack O’Donoghue has continued to progress while Munster staggered.
Morgan Treacy / INPHO
Morgan Treacy / INPHO / INPHO
The 25-year-old suffered a severe dip in confidence in the lead up to the World Cup and was overtaken in the pecking order by the time the Six Nations came around. His 25 tackles in a terrific performance against Ulster are evidence that he is approaching the peak of his powers.
His history of playing number eight before being shifted to openside makes him a utility option. And that will always be a major plus on a taxing tour like this.
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Madi-gone, Roux's awakening and more talking points on Ireland's squad for South Africa
JOE SCHMIDT NAMED his 32-man squad for a three-Test tour of South Africa this afternoon. The full list of inclusions is here and some of our snap judgements are below.
A Bolter
Sean Reidy is perhaps the very definition of a bolter.
The 27-year-old is one of six back rows in the 32-man squad (including Iain Henderson) and has certainly put in a solid season, deputising ably in the absence of Chris Henry – who he now replaces in the Ireland squad to tour South Africa.
However, it is only in the very last few weeks of the season when Reidy really caught fire. The Aucklander, whose grandfather hails from Kerry, was deployed chiefly as an openside until the 30 April clash against Leinster in Belfast. With Henry in the number seven jersey, Reidy excelled at number eight, showing a thirst for carrying with good footwork and handling ability after the tackle.
With Joe Schmidt’s selection brought about through injury to Sean O’Brien and Josh van der Flier, it’s difficult not to have sympathy for Henry and Tommy O’Donnell who have continuously worked so hard to be in and around the front-line options for the openside.
Madi-gone
Time and again, Ireland’s head coach has returned to speak about the value of having a utility back among his replacements rather than allowing a specialist out-half take up a full jersey on the bench. Until now, Ian Madigan has been that utility option, but his imminent move to France has apparently dragged him out of favour.
While Paddy Jackson is now a clear favourite to be deputy to Jonathan Sexton from matchday to matchday, Schmidt will have capable utility options available in Luke Marshall and one other notable Ulster tyro who we’ll speak about a little further down.
Roux rides the Connacht wave
Looking down the right-hand side of the squad list on today’s email from the IRFU, we didn’t expect to have to look quite so hard for the word ‘Connacht’.
Finlay Bealham and Ultan Dillane return after their introduction in the Six Nations, Kieran Marmion will again hope to challenge Eoin Reddan to back up Conor Murray and Robbie Henshaw is there too, of course. There’s no place for some of the other real in-form parts of the Connacht trophy chase though.
Matt Healy’s talents will continue to be restricted to the provincial scene, Aly Muldowney’s unbelievable efforts are perhaps coming too late in his career and Rob Kearney’s return to training has ensured there’s no obvious route in for Tiernan O’Halloran.
Quinn Roux is the fifth Connacht name in the squad and, much like the other uncapped member of the group, he too comes in on a less than straightforward run. An ankle injury kept the South African-born lock out of action for three of the winter months and he has often struggled to make the Connacht 23 since then, wearing the jersey just four times since March, including four minutes off the bench in the first of the two wins over Glasgow in Galway.
One Stu in, one Stu out
He got a contract extension sorted nice and early, but other than that it hasn’t been a great week for Stuart McCloskey. The Bangor Bulldozer will have to wait beyond the summer for his second cap, despite providing some thrilling flashes of potential on his Twickenham debut.
A three-Test tour in South Africa, where physicality is alaways bare minimum, would have seemed perfectly suited to McCloskey. Instead, his provincial team-mate Stuart Olding is recalled ahead of him.
Olding is a ludicrously talented rugby player, bringing an eye for a line-break, searing acceleration and passing skills to any position from 10, 12, 13 or 15. His only drawback is his 5′ 11″, 90kg frame. Together with Reidy, it’s a selection that offers hope that Schmidt is attempting to avoid a straight up arm-wrestle with the Springboks and instead send out a side seeking width and space.
Jordi rewarded
We’ve been through some of the tight selection calls in the six back row spots above, but you sense that Schmidt would have thought it an easy call to bring Jordi Murphy back in from the cold – even if Jack O’Donoghue has continued to progress while Munster staggered.
The 25-year-old suffered a severe dip in confidence in the lead up to the World Cup and was overtaken in the pecking order by the time the Six Nations came around. His 25 tackles in a terrific performance against Ulster are evidence that he is approaching the peak of his powers.
His history of playing number eight before being shifted to openside makes him a utility option. And that will always be a major plus on a taxing tour like this.
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Connacht Editor's picks Ireland Joe Schmidt Opinion quinn roux sean reidy South Africa Springboks stu olding summer tour Summer Tour 2016 Ulster